Valentine's Day
by Kyrandis
Summary: It wasn't an altogether strange idea that he had fallen for Riku, but even Roxas didn't come to the realization until long after it had happened. RikuRoxas.


**A/N:** I don't know what to put here. -A- Happy Valentine's Day? Wrote this in response to a prompt from my sister.

Enjoyyy.

* * *

Roxas was pretty sure Valentine's Day wasn't supposed to be so intimidating, but it was anyways.

His first Valentine's Day, he was still trying to adjust to life as a tenth grader. After all, having been a Nobody, he had never attended school before, so it was a whole new experience for him. And it wasn't a fun experience, either. He didn't like talking to the others, because he didn't like their nosy questions concerning his past. If asked, he would vaguely mutter that he'd moved from a place called "Twilight Town" to live with his cousin, Sora.

That year's Valentine's Day, it was all too fast, too soon after the whole save-the-worlds thing (which, admittedly, Roxas had little to no part in save for waking up Sora), too soon after suddenly waking up with a heart of his own and Sora grinning stupidly at him, Kairi staring at him in wonder, and Riku having just the barest trace of a smile on his lips. It was all too soon. He wasn't prepared for this _Valentine's Day_.

Everywhere, people were giving each other cards and chocolates. People were hugging and kissing. _Everywhere_. Did they _have_ to make out in the middle of school? Seriously. It was kind of nasty.

He hadn't completely understood the concept, not at first. He did ask Kairi what the point of the holiday was. Apparently, you were supposed to give chocolates or a card, maybe both (and sometimes other things, like flowers), to someone special. Someone you were in a relationship with, or maybe you were confessing to the person you liked (said confession also accompanied by chocolates and cards); according to Kairi, a lot of people confessed on Valentine's Day.

Roxas thought it was all a bit silly. Why did you only get one day a year to tell someone you liked them? Why was there only one chance to show someone how much they meant to you? Why did it have to be on Valentine's Day?

Despite his doubts, Roxas had still considered getting something for Riku.

It wasn't an altogether strange idea that he had fallen for Riku, but even Roxas didn't come to the realization until long after it had happened.

Roxas had never been romantically attracted to anyone before. He didn't mingle with the other students at school. The reason wasn't necessarily because he was an unsocial person. Call it arrogance, but their ignorance got on his nerves fast. They were always concerned with such trivial things, which was why he stuck around Sora, Kairi, and Riku. They understood. They knew to appreciate just being _alive_, and they were more than happy to welcome him into their circle. And somehow, it came to be that he and Riku ended up talking together a lot.

Roxas would be the first to admit that there were some things you just had to let out, to just tell someone for the sake of telling it, before it ate you completely from the inside. But there wasn't always someone who would listen. Riku was that person for Roxas, and Roxas was that person for Riku. Truthfully, they'd have both gone to Sora first, but neither of them wanted to trouble him. Sora was far from innocent, they knew, but the way he was just so..._happy_ all the time created that illusion, and they had a silent agreement not to shatter it. Let Sora have a normal life like he wanted. Let him leave the past in his memories instead of letting it haunt him day by day.

Besides, Riku was easy to talk to. He was a good listener, and he judged Roxas for who he was _now_, not who he'd been in the past—although that was probably because he'd be hypocritical if he did. And then sometimes Riku would be the one having a Moment of Weakness, and he'd tell Roxas about his past. Roxas would sit quietly and listen. As far as the others were concerned, such conversations never happened. Sometimes Roxas didn't even want to admit their existence to himself.

He started smiling more often, Riku did, and it was a nice look on him—although, to be honest, the first time he'd smiled, _really_ smiled, Roxas had said it was scary seeing him with a facial expression that wasn't a scowl or smirk. This earned him a punch in the arm, but there was no real force behind it, and they both ended up grinning at each other.

Roxas wondered what he could do to make Riku smile more often. Not necessarily at _him_, but just in general. He wanted Riku to be happy. He wanted him to laugh. And as the weeks and months passed, he learned more about Riku—his likes and dislikes, what made him tick. He took this knowledge and engraved it into his memory. Then one day, while he was staring absently at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, Roxas came to a stunning realization.

He was in love with Riku.

Okay, okay, Roxas had told himself, quickly backing up his train of thought. Maybe not in _love_. Maybe more of liked. A little _more_ than liked. Liked in _that_ way.

Like, a crush. Just a little one.

Just a tiny little bit of affection as something just a tiny little bit more than a friend for his, well, friend.

Denial was a lovely thing, but even Roxas knew he wasn't fooling anyone by telling himself that.

Then Valentine's Day had rolled around, Roxas had learned what it was about, and he had thought of Riku.

In the end, he couldn't work up the nerve to even buy a box of chocolates.

This year, though, he had bought a box, just a small box of dark chocolate, Riku's favorite, he remembered. Then, emboldened, he also bought a card, one of those kinds that was blank on the inside so you could write your own message. It was a simple card, and Roxas had bought both it and the box of chocolate quickly, before he could change his mind.

Both the chocolates and the card sat hidden in his room the last two days before Valentine's Day.

Roxas awoke on the fated day full of doubts and second thoughts. What if Riku didn't like him in that way? He didn't want to endanger their friendship over a stupid crush (okay, maybe a bit more than a crush, Roxas admitted to himself grudgingly). And he was fine with being just friends with him, _perfectly_ fine. Nodding decidedly to himself, he moved to throw away the valentine.

Sora chose that moment to burst into the room, wondering what was taking Roxas so long, and the latter hastily stuffed both the card and chocolates into his backpack.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Let's go."

Roxas's mind was in conflict all day as he tried to decide what to do with the valentine resting in his backpack. To give or not to give?

In the end, he decided to just go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Roxas was no coward. He had stood up to Heartless and Nobody alike. He had stared death in the face. He would not quail to _love_. That would be stupid and wimpy. If Riku reciprocated his feelings, then good for them. If he _didn't_ feel that way, then that was fine, too. Roxas just hoped they could still stay friends.

Having reached this conclusion after a couple hours of deliberation, Roxas decided that it would be best to wait until the lunch hour to see Riku. No point seeking him out during passing period when they only had one class left to go.

Riku was a wanderer during lunchtime. Sometimes he was in the library. Sometimes he went to one of the classrooms. Sometimes he just walked around the campus. Sometimes he did all three.

He wasn't in the library today, so Roxas supposed he might be in one of the senior classrooms. As he walked towards them, Roxas wondered what he'd say. He'd probably just hand the card and chocolates to Riku and run.

_And what happened to not being a coward?_

Roxas chose not to answer himself.

The first two classes he checked were empty, but two people were inside the third. Roxas's heart dropped to his stomach when he saw who they were. Sora and Riku.

Sora was handing Riku a box. Then he gave him a sort of tackle-hug. Roxas quickly turned away, feeling sick.

It wouldn't be fair of him to intrude on their relationship. Sora had, after all, known Riku longer—since they were children. Roxas had only known him—_really _known him—for a little over a year.

His hand fisted around the card in his pocket, crumpling it into a ball. The chocolate he stared at in bitter contemplativeness for a minute before going to the lockers and surreptitiously putting the box into Riku's locker. No point in wasting it, after all, and without the card, Riku wouldn't be able to identify who it was from.

At least, he thought wryly as he trudged off to his next class, he wouldn't have to worry about hurting his and Riku's friendship anymore. But now he'd have to worry about feigning obliviousness, assuming Riku and Sora decided to keep their relationship hidden.

* * *

"Someone left a box of chocolates in my locker," Riku announced.

Roxas almost cringed as they walked down to the shoreline. 'They' being him, Sora, Riku, and Kairi; they were going to row out to the Small Island to swim and just hang out.

"Really?" asked Sora. "From who?"

"I don't know; there was no name," Riku replied.

"Looks like someone's got a _secret admirer_," Kairi sang out teasingly.

Roxas was saved from having to see Sora's reaction (he was kind of dreading it) as they arrived at the docks. Sora and Kairi went to one of the canoes, and Roxas hopped into the second one with Riku, setting his towel beside him on his seat.

"Do you know who left it?" Riku asked as they set off.

Roxas shrugged uncomfortably even though he knew Riku wouldn't be able to see him; Riku was sitting in the front while Roxas was in the back seat. "How should I know?" There was an expectant pause. "...Have you got any ideas?"

Riku's head inclined forward slightly. "I'm not sure who exactly, but whoever it is knows I like dark chocolate."

Roxas hummed noncommittally in response.

"How about you?" asked Riku. "Got any chocolates today?"

"No."

They rowed in silence for a few minutes.

"Roxas?" asked Riku. "Is something wrong?"

Roxas's head snapped up from where he had been staring blankly at the wooden bottom of the boat. "No. What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. You've been quiet."

"I'm always quiet," Roxas replied. It was true; he usually just listened quietly as his friends conversed.

"This is a different kind of quiet."

Roxas frowned. There were different kinds?

He gasped as cold water hit his face, eyes closing reflexively. When he opened them again, blinking rapidly as water dripped from his bangs and into his eyes, he saw Riku smirking at him over his shoulder.

"Jerk," he said good-naturedly, flicking his paddle. Water arced through the air towards Riku, but he ducked before it could hit him. Roxas sent up another spray, this time managing to give Riku's back a good soaking.

Riku didn't hesitate to retaliate, and by the time they finally reached the little island, long after Sora and Kairi had, they were both drenched.

"Geez, what took you guys so long?" Sora asked as they climbed onto the dock. "You're dripping wet—did the canoe overturn or something?"

Roxas glanced at Riku, then said, childishly, "Riku was being stupid and immature."

"I was just trying to cheer you up," Riku defended himself calmly, looking amused. "You're the one who initiated the fight."

Roxas rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to deliver a retort ("Splashing me is supposed to make me feel better? What's wrong with you?"), but Sora spoke first.

"Cheer him up?" he echoed. "Roxas, is something wrong?"

"Everything's fine," he snapped. Sora flinched, and Roxas felt immediately guilty. Sora was just being nice, like he always was. "Sorry," he said quickly. "Nothing's wrong, really. Don't worry about it."

Sora looked to Riku, who merely shrugged. "Okay," said Sora. "But...you know you can talk to any of us, right? We're your friends."

"I know," said Roxas. "Thanks." He truly was grateful for his friends—all of them. But there was no way he could tell them about this. Best to just pretend he had never felt anything for Riku at all. If Sora was the one who could make Riku smile, then Roxas had no right to interfere.

He shook his head a little. "So, are we just gonna stand around here till the sun sets?" he asked, playfully shoving Sora.

"He-ey!" cried Sora as he staggered back, grabbing Roxas by the arm and dragging them both off the dock and into the water.

Roxas laughed as he resurfaced. "Not exactly as planned, but oh well." He hoisted himself back up onto the dock, then started pulling off his shirt as Sora clambered up after him.

"Aw, Roxas, now our clothes are all wet."

"My clothes were already wet, so stop whining," snorted Roxas. "You wore your trunks under, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Then I don't see what the problem is." Roxas took off his X-shaped necklace and slipped it into his pocket, stiffening in surprise as his fingers brushed against his crumpled card; he'd completely forgotten about it.

"Roxas?"

It was Riku.

"It's nothing," Roxas said brusquely, withdrawing his hand and pulling off his pants; he, too, had changed after school and worn his swimming trunks beneath his clothes. He spread his clothes out so they could dry, then launched himself back into the water. Soon, the other three joined him in the ocean water.

It wasn't until early evening that they left. Roxas was shaking a little from the cold, but his towel was drenched from his splash-war with Riku earlier—he hadn't remembered to spread it out—so he decided to forego it. Even now, it was relatively warm out, so he figured he'd be okay. It wasn't a long row back to the main island anyways.

"So, Roxas," said an equally drenched Riku conversationally as they rowed. "When were you going to give me the card?"

Roxas's stomach twisted uneasily and he nearly dropped his oar as his hand flew to his pocket, barely remembering to use his free hand. His fingers touched his necklace, which he hadn't remembered to put back on. There was nothing else. "You went through my pockets?" he demanded, his voice pitching up slightly at the end as if it couldn't decide whether to sound mortified or furious.

Riku's shoulders lifted in a small, apologetic shrug. "I didn't know what it was. I thought it might help explain what's been bothering you so much. It might have been a bully note for all we knew."

The idea that Riku thought Roxas might have had a bully problem didn't even register in Roxas's mind. "'We'? Do," he swallowed, "do Sora and Kairi know?"

"I haven't told anyone about it." He glanced back briefly and handed the card to Roxas.

He looked at it dumbly, opening it. It was wet, but the words penned by Roxas were still legible. It wasn't much, just two simple sentences. But Roxas never claimed to be a master of relationships. He had just written the first thing that came to mind before stowing it away, embarrassed.

'_Riku,_

_Thanks for listening to me when I need someone to talk to. I wanted to tell you that I think I've come to see you as someone more precious than a friend._

_Roxas._'

"Well?" asked Riku after a lengthy silence.

Roxas focused his attention on rowing. "Well, what?" he asked.

"Well, were you the one who left me the chocolates?"

Roxas exhaled loudly. "It doesn't matter. Just forget about it."

Riku, however, obviously wasn't going to obey and 'just forget about it.' "What about the card?" he pressed.

"I wasn't gonna give it to you," he muttered stubbornly.

"Why not?"

Roxas hesitated. Riku seemed genuinely curious. Taking a gamble, he cautiously replied, "I didn't want to get between you and Sora."

"Get between me and... Roxas, Sora and I aren't in a relationship."

Roxas blinked and didn't reply.

"Haven't you seen him mooning over Kairi?" Riku asked, looking over his shoulder at Roxas and raising an eyebrow at him.

Roxas hadn't noticed, not really, but then again, he was pretty bad when it came to relationships of the romantic variety. It occurred to him that Riku might be lying, and he chewed his lip thoughtfully. Maybe Riku didn't trust him?

"I saw you two," he ventured. "Today, during lunch."

Riku stared at him blankly for a moment, then said, with deliberate slowness, "Roxas, Sora gives valentines to all of his friends."

"But—I thought..." Weren't you supposed to give them to someone you liked?

"It's an elementary school tradition he never really outgrew. He probably has one for you back home," Riku added. "Didn't he give you one last year?"

Roxas tried to recall this. _Had_ Sora given him chocolate the previous year? He couldn't really remember; most of that day was spent avoiding the craziness at school and trying (and failing) to work up the courage to confess to Riku.

"I don't know," he admitted sheepishly.

Riku quirked an eyebrow at him (again).

"Look forward before we crash into the dock," Roxas muttered sulkily, averting his gaze and breaking eye contact. "Anyways, buying them was a spur of the moment thing," he added in what was hopefully an off-hand manner as Riku turned away. "I wasn't going to give them to you."

"So you don't really like me?"

"I didn't say that," said Roxas hastily, frowning when he realized that Riku had probably already anticipated his answer.

"I decided not to mess up our friendship because of something small like this. I left the chocolates anonymously so they wouldn't be wasted," he equivocated carefully. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. It just wasn't the whole truth.

"Which, I'm sure, is why you went looking for me."

"Who said anything about doing that?"

"No one," Riku replied. "But why else would you be at the senior classrooms during lunch?"

Roxas cursed under his breath as the boat bumped gently against the dock. He didn't feel like answering, so he just jumped, landing smoothly on the dock, then knelt to tie the rope as Riku leaped deftly beside him.

"Come on, Roxas. Just admit it and this might go a little faster."

"You know, I'd actually prefer if you forgot you ever read the card," Roxas responded, feigning concentration on the knots.

"Why would I do that?"

"Are you guys coming?" Sora asked. "Roxas, do you need help with that knot?"

"No, I got it," Roxas answered, quickly tying the rope.

"You two go on ahead," Riku said, waving Sora and Kairi off. "I need to talk to Roxas."

Kairi opened her mouth to say something, but Sora spoke first, replying, "Okay! Don't be long, though; you'll catch a cold."

"We'll only be a minute," Riku promised. After Sora and Kairi had left, he said, "Well?"

Roxas scowled at him. "I'd rather you forgot because then everything could go back to normal."

"What if I don't forget?"

"Then so help me, my life is over," announced Roxas, throwing his hands into the air.

As his arms came back down, Riku caught him lightly by his wrists. "Idiot," he said, and his voice was almost fond. "I never said I didn't like you."

Roxas stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment. Then he said, "...Oh."

"Oh?"

"Oh." Roxas pulled his arms from Riku's grip. "Okay, then."

Riku lifted an eyebrow, smiling faintly. "'Okay'? That's it?"

Roxas thought for a moment, then said, "Yeah."

"You know, you're a really simple guy."

"Mm, I think I'll take that as a compliment," decided Roxas. "Now let's go. I'm freezing."

"Yeah," agreed Riku. "Let's go."

As they walked home, Roxas decided that he'd forgive Riku for looking through his things, just this once.


End file.
